Lincoln and…
by Disk98
Summary: Lincoln shares special moments with all ten of his sisters. Collection of oneshots.
1. …Lori

The first few minutes of the ride home were dead silent. Lori was hyper-focused on the road, and Lincoln, who had acted so coolly and maturely in saying goodbye to his friend Ronnie Anne, now found himself holding back tears. This was a complete reversal of how the ride to the city had gone, with Lori sobbing inconsolably and Lincoln too focused on keeping his big sister together to let his own tears fall.

Lori had accepted that the Santiagos were gone—moved away, that is—and was determined to uphold her relationship with Bobby through as much video calling and texting as she could (more than usual, anyway), and they would reunite in college next year. She could survive a year. Yeah, that wouldn't be so bad.

Lincoln, on the other hand, was a bit sad to see Bobby go, as the two were good friends, but it pained him greatly that he had to say goodbye to Ronnie Anne. Sure, he could text and video call as easily as Lori could, but the eleven-year-old would sorely miss his best female friend's company. She may have called him "Lame-O" and dealt more punches to his shoulder than he could count, but he loved his friend and wished she could stay in Royal Woods. Though, the true friend he was, he accepted his friend's decision to move and remained strong when the time came to part ways. But as soon as he and Lori made it in the car, he couldn't help but think that his whole day had been essentially wasted. He and his sister had come all this way to get the Santiagos back, but had failed in the end. How could they have been so stupid as to think that they could stop them?

Lori stopped at a red light and glanced over at her little brother, frowning when she saw his devastated facial expression. "Aww, Lincoln..." She affectionately put a hand on his knee.

"I miss her so much already." The boy was on the verge of tears. "Why did we even do this? I-I mean...did we r-really think that we could convince them not to move just by sh-showing up uninvited?"

Sighing heavily, Lori shook her head. "I...thought things would end up differently, but I guess it turned out to literally be a waste of our time." The light turned green, prompting Lori to remove her hand and proceed.

"I'll say." It was unlike Lincoln to mope, but he was hurting badly right now. "I-I'm sorry, Lori. I—"

"No, don't be sorry," she said, cutting him off. "It's okay to be upset. I can't say I blame you...especially considering how I was on the way up here. I should literally be apologizing to you right now. So, I'm sorry."

Silence ensued. Lincoln wasn't used to seeing Lori like this. She was usually very curt with him, calling him "twerp" or threatening to turn him into a human pretzel when she was upset (a rather common occurrence), but she did love her only brother very much and couldn't bear to see him hurting like this.

For the next few minutes, Lincoln looked longingly out the window while Lori thought about how she could cheer him up. _Maybe I'll help him out with his chores tonight. No, not enough._ Lincoln didn't mind his chores and would probably find solace doing them alone. _SkypeFace with Ronnie Anne for him on my computer?_ No, he could do that himself if he wanted to. _Well, maybe I'll take him somewhere to eat. Get his mind off things._ The sun was setting; it was getting rather close to dinner time, and the duo were definitely not going to make it home fast enough.

"Hey, Linc...you hungry?" she asked the boy, breaking the silence.

"Not really," he replied, but his stomach growled to signify the contrary. "Well...m-maybe a little."

Smiling a little, Lori touched his knee again. "There's a burger place down the road a bit. My treat."

"Lori, you don't h—"

"No, let me. We're literally never going to make it home in time for dinner, anyway."

"Okay…thank you."

Smiling wider, Lori reached over and tousled the boy's white hair. "You're welcome."

A few minutes passed, and Lori pulled Vanzilla into the parking lot of the aforementioned burger joint. She got out and started walking in, but she noticed after a few steps that her brother wasn't right behind her.

She turned back and opened the van's passenger door. "Hey, are you—oh…"

Lori could barely remember the last time she had seen Lincoln cry, years ago, but he sure was now. He had fought the tears all the way to the restaurant, finally letting them spill when Lori got out of the van. But now that she had come back for him, he was suddenly feeling very embarrassed. He turned his back to his sister and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force back the tears.

Briefly, Lori thought about going inside and letting Lincoln have his moment alone while she ordered for him (she knew he liked cream soda and bacon cheeseburgers), but she quickly dismissed the idea and decided to directly console him instead. So she climbed into the passenger seat next to her brother and gave him a big hug. "It's okay, Lincoln," she murmured.

"L-Lori, I'm s—"

"Shh...don't apologize." She rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him.

"B-but—"

"No buts. I know you're upset, don't be sorry," Lori said empathetically, holding Lincoln tighter.

He sobbed for a good twenty minutes into her shoulder, wishing they had never tried to get Ronnie Anne (and Bobby, but mostly Ronnie Anne in his case) back. Wishing she had never left in the first place. Wishing he'd had the guts to say to her what he'd been feeling for so long now. It made the sting of not being able to see her even worse.

Finally having shut off the waterworks, Lincoln pulled back to look up at an equally wrecked Lori, whose eyeliner was dripping from her own shed tears. "I-I love her, Lori. I never told her, but...I really love her."

"I know you do, Linc...I'm so sorry you can't see each other," Lori replied, knowing exactly how the boy felt. "You should text her. Right now. Tell her everything."

Surprised at the suggestion, Lincoln gasped. "Wh-what?! I can't—I mean, how do you just text someone 'I love you' like it's nothing?"

"It's not nothing," she explained to him. "Bobby and I do it literally all the time. It's how you feel. And you probably don't want to cry over the phone to her, but you'll feel a whole lot better getting that off your chest. Just text her."

"O-okay." He sniffled and took out his phone. Opening his messaging app, he typed a few sentences.

 _Hey. I miss you already. There's something I've been meaning to tell you, but I was too busy trying not to cry when we said goodbye earlier. I love you, Ronnie Anne, so much it hurts not to see you. Please don't think I'm so lame for that._

Tapping "Send," he chewed his lip. "Well…I guess that's it."

Lori pulled him in for another hug. "It'll be okay. I'm sure you'll see her soon, and I know she loves you, too. I sure do."

"I love you, too, Lori," Lincoln said, returning the embrace. "Thank you for being here for me."

"Always, Linc. Always."

The siblings walked into the burger joint with Lori's hand affectionately rubbing Lincoln's back. The boy may still have been upset, but he was starting to realize that maybe this whole trip hadn't been for nothing. It wasn't too often that Lori was overtly nice to him. Maybe this was the beginning of something special.

Suddenly, as the two sat down, Lincoln got a text message.

It was from Ronnie Anne!

 _Really? You seriously said that in a text? You're such a dork! But I love you, too._

Lincoln smiled for the first time in hours. No…today certainly wasn't a waste of time.


	2. …Leni

"Hey, Linky, can we...talk?"

Lincoln looked up from his comic book to see Leni standing in his open doorway. "Uhh, sure. What's up?" he asked.

"I, um...need your advice." Leni sounded nervous.

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. What could his second-eldest sister possibly need his advice on? He knew little to nothing of modern fashion trends or what sales were going on at the mall. "Shoot," he prompted kindly, albeit unsure of how he'd be able to help.

"O-oh, am I bothering you?" the girl asked, having perceived the word "shoot" as a euphemism for another "s" word.

Oops. Poor word choice, the boy thought to himself. Leni wasn't exactly the most perceptive girl in the world. "No, Leni. I meant, tell me what's on your mind." He smiled warmly at her.

"Oh. My skull, I think," she replied, grinning. "But I wanted to talk about my problem, not play a trivia game."

Sighing, he shook his head. "Never mind. Um…what's wrong?" I've got to be more literal with Leni.

"Well, there's this boy I care about," Leni began, walking over and sitting next to her little brother on the bed. "And I wanted to know what guys like him are into. I figured, since you're a boy and all…"

Lincoln gulped. _She wants romantic advice?! I'm eleven—what do I know about romance? Holding hands…and kissing, right? Lots of kissing?_ "Er…uh…what's he like?" he asked, deciding to take a chance. Maybe he'd say something useful?

"He's…younger than me," Leni described. "He's smart, and thoughtful, and kind, and totes cute."

 _Sounds pretty generic to me_ , Lincoln thought. "If you're trying to get him to like you, maybe just go up and talk to him?" he suggested. "I mean, everybody likes you, so he probably would, too."

Leni smiled at her brother's sweet comment. "Aww, thanks, Linky. But I'm not trying to make him my boyfriend. That'd be weird."

 _So, she_ doesn' _t want romantic advice_ , the boy concluded. Sighing in relief, he asked. "Okay, well…what are you trying to do?"

"I wanted to get him something," she declared.

"Oh, does he have a birthday coming up?" Lincoln asked, wondering why Leni needed his advice specifically. Being around ten sisters, he knew a thing or two about what girls liked, but aside from his father he was the only boy in the household, and his best friend Clyde wasn't exactly the manliest guy in the world. He hadn't a clue about the inner workings of a stereotypical teenage boy's mind.

"No," Leni replied. "He's just so nice to me all the time, and I wanted to thank him."

Glad his sister had made a friend that made her so happy, he smiled. "Leni, I'm sure he'll like whatever you give him if he's as thoughtful as you say he is."

"That's not much help," she said, giggling. "I was hoping for something pacific."

" _Specific_ , Leni," Lincoln corrected gently. He tapped his chin in thought for a moment before an idea popped into his head. "Why don't you take him out for ice cream or something? Everyone likes ice cream. I mean…I know you said it'd be weird if he was your boyfriend, but two people can have ice cream together without it being a date, right?"

"That's a great idea!" Leni praised, hugging her brother. "Thanks, Linky!"

His smile grew wider. "Happy to help!"

With that, she patted his back. "I'll do it right now. Come on!"

Confused, he pulled back from his sister's embrace. "Thanks for the invite, but this is your thing, Leni. This guy probably doesn't even know me. It'd just be awkward."

"He'll like you," Leni insisted, standing up and pulling Lincoln up with her. "Please, Lincoln?"

Sighing, he reluctantly acquiesced.

* * *

When they arrived at the ice cream parlor, Lincoln looked up at Leni and asked, "Did you tell him you'd be here? The place is empty."

Leni gasped. "Oh, no! I forgot!" She rapidly took out her phone and started typing.

Rolling his eyes, Lincoln took his own phone out of his pocket, assuming he'd be waiting a while. Suddenly, it lit up, displaying a text message from…Leni?

 _Wanna get some ice cream?_

"Leni, you texted me by mistake," he said, shrugging it off and opening an app.

"No, I didn't," his sister replied.

"I just got the message," Lincoln explained, looking up at her. "It's okay, I was just letting you—"

She cut him off with a smile. "No, I mean it wasn't by mistake."

Lincoln's eyes widened, partially surprised that Leni of all people had tricked him, and partially surprised at the sweet gesture. "Wait, so I'm the guy you were talking about before?"

"Yup!"

The boy blushed, thinking about the things Leni said about him back in his room. "So, all those things you said…"

"I totally meant all of it," Leni responded. "I wanted to do something nice for you, 'cause you're always so nice to me, and to all of us. Think of this as a sort of thank you."

Lincoln beamed, his blush darkening. He was nice to his sisters simply because he loved them. He never expected anything in return—he loved them all equally and unconditionally. There was no need to thank him.

She smiled back, finding the look of gratitude and shyness on his face completely adorable. "Aww, c'mere, Linky," the girl coaxed, opening her arms.

Lincoln immediately threw himself into them, reveling in the open affection Leni was showing him. "Thanks, Leni. You didn't have to do this," he said.

"But I wanted to. You deserve it," she replied, stroking his hair as she embraced him.

Ice cream was a simple gesture, sure, but it pleased Leni to make her little brother so happy. And he always gave the best hugs.


	3. …Luna

Lincoln was glad the family vacation was finally over. It was bad enough he had to endure a whole week at Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, what with all the weasel-sized mosquitoes and creepy hill people, but he spent the entire time pandering to all ten of his sisters' every whim.

Now, yes, he was aware that some of it was justified, as he had taken advantage of his sisters' attempts at influencing his decision as to where the vacation would be taking place, but that had only been for a couple of days. The girls used him for an entire _week_! How was that fair?

He hadn't once complained about his sisters' terribly unjust exaction of revenge, as he was constantly within earshot of his parents and did not want to set off a chain of reprimands and grounding. That would certainly not sit well with his sisters, who were already upset with him. The last thing he needed was more reason for them to mistreat him.

Now that the boy was finally back in his own room, in his own bed, he could finally, for the first time in a week, relax. It was nice not having to tuck the twins into their sleeping bags _again_ , or roast Lucy _another_ marshmallow because she liked watching it die, or indulge Lynn in a late-night round of catch where he couldn't see the ball. No, his vacation was over. And now, he needed a _real_ vacation.

It had only been a bit past eight o'clock at night when Vanzilla pulled into the driveway, but Lincoln decided that, despite not having school in the morning because it was summer, he best head off to bed. A good night's sleep would do him good, as his muscles ached from having to carry all his sisters' bags inside.

But just as he was settling in and getting comfortable, he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Ugh…what is it?" he asked wearily. "Did I forget something in the van, 'cause I'm not—"

"No, dude," a raspy voice replied from the other side of the door. "I want to talk."

The boy rolled his eyes. "What, so you can lecture me on how much of a jerk I was to you and that I deserved what happened this week? Give me a break, Luna. I don't want to hear it."

The third eldest Loud sister sighed. That was very unlike Lincoln. He must really be upset, she thought. But that was why she wanted to talk to him. She felt horrible about the way she and her sisters had treated him at the campground, and she wanted to apologize. If only he'd let her.

"C'mon, man, lemme in," she pressed. "I'm not Lori, I don't wanna give you a stupid lecture."

"Fine," came the curt response as the door opened, revealing the pajama-clad eleven-year-old. "What can I do for you?" His face was scrunched into an angry glare, something Luna was not used to seeing from her normally happy brother.

"Sheesh, you're as cold as ice," she said, mildly surprised. "Lose the 'tude, dude."

He crossed his arms. "Don't ' _dude'_ me. Do you know, or even care…about the absolute _hell_ you guys have put me through this week?"

Luna cringed. Not that "hell" was a particularly _bad_ word, but Lincoln never used such coarse language. "Lincoln—"

"You know," he vented, cutting her off with a chuckle in spite of himself, "Lisa wasn't lying about the mosquitoes. They were _enormous_!" He rolled up his sleeves, revealing dozens of red welts left by the bloodsucking insects. "And the lack of indoor plumbing? Yeah, that was _great_! Oh, but the mosquitoes—they don't leave you alone when you're doing your business. Actually, they all go right after the newly-exposed flesh! I'm itching in places no man should itch!"

Now Luna was worried. "Why don't you just—"

Again, Lincoln interrupted, not finished with his rant yet. "And let's not forget the coup de grâce of it all." ( _Where did he learn that?_ wondered Luna.) "I haven't even gotten to the disgusting pond that smells like pee, or the hill people who live in the trees, or the fact that our campsite was twenty feet from a hornets' nest! But the worst part of it all was that I had to endure _everything_ , take _all_ the pain and itching, smell like a gas station bathroom, and whatever, while being your freaking _slave_! I did _everything_ for you! I set up all your tents, carried all your bags and packed them all up before we left, got you all your stupid drinks—I even rubbed all your backs whenever you felt like it! I know I shouldn't have taken advantage of you before. I know it was wrong, and I was fine with making it up for a day or two. Eye for an eye, right? But, no! You all took it _way_ too far!" All right, now he was finished, if only because the tears that were welling up in his eyes were threatening to fall. His arms had moved to his sides, his hands balled into fists. He was panting and sweating and looked about ready to cry, and Luna wasn't sure how to react. Seeing him so _livid_ scared her just a little bit, and the fact that she had played a part in all of it made her feel incredibly guilty.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, torn. Part of her wanted to stand up for herself and tell him that he had to learn his lesson, while another wanted to get on her knees and beg for his forgiveness. He had learned his lesson, but she was only following the example of her other sisters. After a few seconds of silent deliberation, she decided to take the middle ground.

Courageously, Luna wrapped her arms around the still-fuming Lincoln. "I'm sorry," she began softly. "I know you probably don't want to forgive me, and that's cool. But I—"

W-wait…was he actually crying?

 _Stop it! Stop it!_ he scolded himself. _You're supposed to be angry, dang it! Be a man!_ But he just couldn't. He was more hurt than anything else that his sisters could be so inconsiderate as to enslave him after he made a silly, forgivable mistake. He was angry, too, but he couldn't yell the tears away. The whole ordeal had left him feeling like he was less than a person to them. That he was nothing more than a servant. It made him feel sick (though the mosquito bites could have very well played into that also).

Luna was now more shocked than ever. Lincoln didn't cry often, especially not openly like this. Any confidence the girl had willed herself into feeling had now vanished. What was she supposed to say to him? She'd had no idea he'd been suffering so badly.

"I-I'm sorry!" she repeated in a frightened stammer. "I don't…I'm not…uhhh…" She knew the situation wasn't entirely her fault, but she couldn't seem to formulate any complete thoughts other than a panicked apology as she felt her own eyes well up.

Not that it really mattered, as Lincoln either couldn't hear her over his own emotional rollercoaster, or simply wasn't listening. His quiet sobs continued into her side, showing little indication of letting up.

Frankly, Luna was impressed with how well the boy had been able to keep himself together as well as he did during the family vacation. She felt even worse at the thought of him suffering so quietly. _Man, we really are terrible! How could I let this happen? We really hurt him!_ Finally, she was able to form a complete sentence. "Lincoln, what we did was really, really wrong."

That, he heard. He looked up at his older sister, still shaking and sniffling.

"And, actually…I realize now that this whole thing was our fault to begin with," she continued. "We shouldn't have tried to influence you like we did. Especially that second day, we just tortured you. We promised you heaven and put you through hell, and…I'm really sorry." The revelation only made her feel worse, but she knew it to be true. They hadn't been fair to him the whole time.

Choking back another sob, Lincoln tried, "L-Luna, wait—"

"No, dude, let me finish," she insisted. "None of it was right on our end. We messed up. And I can't speak for everyone here, but…I feel awful about it all. I didn't mean to get so carried away at Scratchy Bottom. I-I had no idea what it was doing to you, Linc."

He sighed shakily, pulling out of his sister's embrace. "O-okay, Luna—can…can we just agree that we were all in the wrong here, and…I don't know…call it even?"

Smiling a little, Luna shook her head. "No way, bro. I wanna make things right with you."

"N-no, that's okay," he politely refused, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Getting even was what got us into this mess in the first place. Please, let's just…drop it."

"Any way you want it," she replied, her smile widening. "That's the way you need it."

A small grin formed on Lincoln's face for the first time in over a week. "Thanks, Luna. I…I really needed this, and I feel so much better now."

"Anytime, little dude," Luna said warmly, squeezing her brother a little tighter. "I _do_ love you, you know. And I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain."

Lincoln giggled. "Love you too, sis…but that was _really_ cheesy."


	4. …Luan

"Hey, Luan. You all right?"

Lincoln would have gotten home earlier, but he had to help Clyde decorate for some fundraiser coming up soon, and he wound up leaving an hour later than usual. But at least it was Friday.

Of course, when he saw his fourth-eldest sister pouting at the kitchen table, felt compelled to cheer her up. Luan was always in such a good mood, and Lincoln was determined to get to the bottom of things.

"I think I'm a little more to the left today, Linc," the comedienne replied with a melancholic sigh. "Get it?"

Yes, he got it. It wasn't very funny, though he knew she hadn't tried very hard. "What's up with you?" he asked in concern, taking a seat next to her at the table.

"Well, it's…" she began, but she sighed again and stopped herself. "I-I don't think you'd understand."

Curious, Lincoln furrowed his brow. "Try me," he offered.

Luan shrugged. "Oh, fine. You know my friend Giggles?"

Indeed, the boy remembered the date Luan had set him up on with her little clown friend at the Sadie Hawkins dance a few weeks ago. Actually, despite the whole circus getup, Giggles was probably the most tolerable of the three dates he had been stuck with that night. "Yeah, I remember. The girl you set me up with."

Luan nodded. "Right. Um…she told me she was into this guy I like, and…"

 _Oh, no!_ Lincoln thought. _Not high school drama! Ack, what have I gotten myself into?!_

"…he asked her out today, so I kinda flipped my lid on her," she finished.

He rubbed his temples. "Oh, geez. Luan, I'm not—"

"See, I knew you wouldn't get it," Luan said sadly, putting her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, Lincoln…you shouldn't have to be a part of any of this."

"No, wait!" he insisted. "I want to help you. Just…just tell me what happened. What did you do?"

"I…may or may not have dumped a bucket of old chicken soup from the cafeteria on her…and called her a cu…complete and total jerk," the braced girl confessed, removing her hands from her face and smirking a little.

" _Complete and total jerk_ , huh? Right, Luan," Lincoln replied. Though he himself rarely swore, he knew the full list of dirty words as well as anyone else in middle school, and the one beginning with "c" was no exception. Though, that seemed unusual for Luan. She cursed even more rarely than he did. She was just so chipper all the time. She must've been pretty angry.

"Whatever. So I cursed her out. You could say I was steamed, but she was the one covered in soup," Luan quipped half-heartedly.

That actually was kind of funny. "Okay, I think you may have gone a _victual_ too far," Lincoln punned, prompting his sister to give an unenthused, "Heh." _Hey, if she's gonna joke about this, then I can, too._

"Good one, Linc," she monotoned. "You're right, I did go too far. But…I don't know, should I make up with her?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, I probably would. The whole thing seems pretty stupid to me." Lincoln had heard his fair share of his many sisters' boy troubles, and though he usually tried to stay out of it because he was rather clueless when it came to romance, fighting over a guy when there were so many others out there was dumb to him. "I mean, forgive me if I don't know what I'm talking about, but there'll be other guys, right?"

"Maybe," Luan said, "but this one's a stand-up comedian! And he's so handsome! Besides, comedians are the only ones who'll give me the time of day, anyway." Her face turned downcast again as she let out another sigh.

"Oh, come on, Luan," he said with a smile. "You can't be serious."

She chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm just a dork who makes puns and pulls pranks all day. What kind of guy would put up with someone like that?"

"Well, I do," Lincoln pointed out, "and I still think you're pretty cool." Realizing what he was implying, he blushed. "I mean, I-I'm not saying I'd date you or anything, 'cause that'd be really weird and stuff, y-you being my sister and everything—"

Luan's face brightened as she watched her adorably stuttering brother's attempt at damage control. "Okay, okay," she said with a small laugh, touching his arm. "I get it. That's…really sweet, Lincoln. Thanks."

"Well, it's true," he insisted. "I mean, you're kind, and smart, and understanding…and you're really funny. I think any guy would be an idiot not to like you."

Now it was Luan's turn to blush. "Really, you think so?"

"Sure," Lincoln answered genuinely, happy he cheered her up. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. You're awesome, Luan. If that guy at school doesn't think so, then that's his loss."

Luan smiled a huge smile and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Aww, you're the best." What had she ever done to get such a sweet little brother?

He smiled back. "I know."

So, the comedienne decided that on Monday, she'd apologize to Giggles. After all, it would be silly to lose her best friend over some dumb guy. There would be others. And after she'd get Giggles to forgive her (which, in the end, she did), she'd have to thank Lincoln for keeping their friend- _ship_ afloat.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Lincoln's head. "Wait a minute. Didn't Giggles like Zach?"


	5. …Lynn

It had been a rough couple of days for Lincoln, but he was glad things were finally returning to normal.

After the family had returned home from the beach, Lincoln convinced his parents to let him take his dumb squirrel suit off. He may have been wearing the stupid costume when Lynn won her last baseball game, but it hadn't protected Luna from stepping on a sharp seashell and cutting her foot, or Lori from getting stung by a bee. Not to mention, he was starting to feel lightheaded from the heat inside the suit. So, their parents finally decided that Lincoln was not in control of the family's good or bad fortunes, and after profusely apologizing to him, they allowed their son to take off his costume and return to his normal life.

Unfortunately, there was still the matter of his empty bedroom, as his parents had purged all his belongings in assumption that he would not be back in the house again. They again apologized and promised to replace everything in the morning. Luckily, his clothes were still folded neatly in the corner of his room, so he could at least shower and change into something clean.

After he did so, finding his favorite orange pajamas at the bottom of the pile, he returned to his bare room and sighed. "Guess I'm hitting the floor tonight," he mused. "Still, it's better than the cold, hard ground. At least it's carpeted."

* * *

Lynn hadn't said much to Lincoln all day. Normally, she brushed her emotions aside and took out her aggressions in the batting cage or on her punching bag, but this time was different. She couldn't pretend that the last few days hadn't happened. She was the reason Lincoln had been suffering.

As she stared up at the ceiling in her and Lucy's bedroom, trying to sleep, she couldn't help but feel guilty that her only brother had been kicked out of the house. That he had been ostracized by the whole family over her own ridiculous superstition. She couldn't just move on from something like this. How could she have been so _cruel_ to him? How could she have been so stupid to believe him when he said he was bad luck? To take his white lie so far as to make him sleep outside?

Or even worse—how could she make him spend all afternoon in an itchy squirrel costume in the blazing sun? Because all of a sudden, the suit made him good luck? He could have passed out from heat

exhaustion in that thing. What had she been thinking?

She knew that things were back to normal now, that Lincoln was back in the house and not wearing the squirrel suit anymore, but he had to be upset about the whole ordeal. He was probably really mad at her.

 _And he should be_ , she thought miserably, _after what I put him through. What kind of family are we to do that to him?_

She sighed. _Maybe I should go talk to him. Let him know how sorry I am._

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she got up and made her way toward Lincoln's bedroom, hoping he wouldn't be too angry at her to talk.

* * *

 _Forget what I said about this being better than sleeping outside. This sucks!_

Lincoln didn't have a pillow or blanket, leaving him to curl up in the middle of his room and try to shiver himself to sleep. Not that it was particularly cold, but he was so used to being covered at night. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't find his stuffed rabbit, Bun-Bun, anywhere. This was going to be a long night.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at his door. Sighing, he got up and walked toward it, figuring it was his parents wanting to apologize to him _again_. Honestly, he was beginning to grow uncomfortable. He'd forgiven them the first time…now it was becoming pathetic.

But when he opened the door, he was shocked to see Lynn standing there, a deep frown on her face. "Lynn? What's the matter?" he asked.

"We need to talk, Lincoln," Lynn said firmly, stepping into the tiny room and closing the door behind her.

"A-are you mad at me?" Lincoln squeaked timidly. He didn't like when she used that tone of voice. Maybe she still saw him as bad luck and didn't want him around?

A puzzled look crossed the athlete's face. "What? No, I'm not mad at you. I…I wanted to apologize," she replied.

"For what?" he questioned, confused.

She looked him straight in the eye. "Everything. You had to sleep outside, and then you had to wear that dumb old costume, and it's all my fault."

Lincoln's eyes widened. "Your fault? No, it isn't."

"What do you mean, it isn't? I told everybody you were bad luck," Lynn said guiltily, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "You couldn't come with us anywhere, and you had to sleep outside! And then I made you wear the squirrel suit all day because I thought it was _good_ luck. You could have died from heat stroke in that sun! How is that not my fault?"

Putting his right hand atop hers on his left shoulder, he frowned. "Lynn, I brought it all upon myself. I was the one who pretended to be bad luck just to get out of going to all your stuff. I was being selfish, and I suffered the consequences."

Her gaze softened. Poor Lincoln was blaming himself for her mistake. "Lincoln, we threw you out of the house… _I_ threw you out of the house. How is that a fair consequence for _anything_?"

He chewed his bottom lip. "I-it did seem a little harsh…but I wasn't really in a position to argue."

Lynn sighed, letting go of his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Lincoln," she told him solemnly. "You're not supposed to forgive me. This wasn't your fault, it was mine."

Lincoln cringed. "Please stop."

But she didn't listen to him. "I never consider how you feel about anything, and now I've really messed up. I put my dumb superstitions ahead of my little brother. I put you through some screwed up stuff. What kind of sister does that?"

"L-Lynn, please—" he tried, on the verge of crying. Seeing his sister beat herself up was _undoing_ the poor boy.

She ignored him, tears welling up in her own eyes. "I treat you like crap, Lincoln…how can you be so forgiving? I-I don't deserve it! You should _hate_ me!"

 _Smack!_

Suddenly, Lynn felt a stinging pain in her left cheek. Did Lincoln just do what she think he did? The tears immediately subsided, her sadness replaced with utter shock.

"Don't say that! Don't you _ever_ say that!" Tears were streaming down Lincoln's cheeks now as he retracted his open right palm. He never, ever laid an unwanted hand on his sisters, but he had been driven over the edge. "I could _never_ hate you, Lynn! I forgive you because, even after you kick me out and take advantage of me, you're still my sister, and I love you!"

She swallowed hard, rubbing her cheek. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she said after a few moments' silence.

Still a bit angry, Lincoln crossed his arms, his tears still flowing freely. "H-how did you want it to be, Lynn?"

"I-I don't know," Lynn replied sadly, looking away. "Not like this. You weren't supposed to end up angry. I mean…I didn't think you'd forgive me right away, but I thought…I thought I'd feel better getting this off my chest."

Lincoln nodded. "Well…I'm sorry it didn't work out that way," he said, rather coldly.

"Don't be like that. Please, you're not making this any easier," she pleaded, feeling her eyes well up again. "I love you, too, Lincoln. I…wasn't thinking straight when I said that you should hate me."

Sighing, the boy looked back at his sister, and the look on her face made him want to cry again. "That's the problem," he declared, forcing the tears back. "That's what got us into this whole mess. I wasn't thinking when I told you I was bad luck."

"A-and _I_ wasn't thinking when I made everyone else believe that," Lynn acknowledged, wiping her eyes with her shirtsleeve.

Lincoln put a hand on her shoulder. "So…I guess it's _both_ our faults," he decided.

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod of her head.

"I-I'm sorry I hit you," he apologized.

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm sorry I said what I said," she replied. "So, are we…good?"

Lincoln responded by giving her a big, tearful hug. "Always."

Lynn smiled, returning the embrace. It was good to have her little brother back, bad luck or not.


	6. …Lucy

"Wow, Lucy, I didn't think you were into this kind of stuff."

Lincoln knew that his younger sister Lucy had a sensitive side to her, as demonstrated when she openly revealed her crush on Rocky Spokes, the younger brother of Lincoln's friend Rocky. But the ashen-haired boy never would have guessed that Lucy's favorite poem ever written would be so…happy.

It was Sonnet 18, by William Shakespeare. You know, the one that starts with, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Lincoln wasn't the most astute literary scholar, but he could gather enough the poem's meaning. The speaker was debating whether to compare his romantic interest to a summer's day, ultimately deciding that the comparison didn't do the person justice. It was a very beautiful poem, and it seemed rather out-of-character for Lucy to like it so much.

"Sigh. Shakespeare's honesty is very attractive," the eight-year-old replied, a small smile crossing her face.

Lincoln smiled as well, glad his introverted sister was comfortable enough to share something so sensitive with him. "It's just so…light. It's not really what I expected from you."

Her smile vanished. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that," he insisted, waving his hands back and forth. "I think it's really sweet."

"It…reminds me of someone," Lucy said. "That's why I like it so much."

"Who, Rocky?" Lincoln couldn't see it. Rocky was a nice kid, but he didn't exactly have a "golden complexion," and Lincoln didn't exactly consider him "fair," in the sense that the poem's speaker considered his love interest. And wasn't the speaker addressing a girl?

A faint blush came to the little goth's face. "Gasp. Maybe a little…but that wasn't who I meant."

"Oh. Who is it, then?" the older boy asked curiously.

"The poem actually reminds me of you," Lucy replied simply, blush receding and smile creeping back across her face.

Lincoln's eyes widened. "Me?" He blushed, unsure whether to be grossed out or flattered. It was cute that his sister thought he was handsome, but wasn't it wrong for her to think about him romantically?

"I don't mean it romantically, if that's what you're thinking," she droned. "The speaker was actually addressing a young man."

The first thought that came to Lincoln's mind was, _Was it even okay to write about homosexuality in the 1500s?_ But he shook it from his head and smiled. "You really think those things about me?" he asked her incredulously.

"It's more than just being handsome, Lincoln," she explained. "Your whole personality is bright and sunny. You're kind, and thoughtful, and you're always there to help me, and all the rest of us. A summer's day is nothing compared to you. And just like the young man in the poem, your bright light will never fade away, because the poem that describes you so well will never be forgotten. _You_ will never be forgotten."

Lincoln was at a loss for words. The way his eight-year-old sister could so eloquently describe just how she felt about him in a manner so touching, that women four times her age could never replicate, left him very touched and completely speechless. So, instead of speaking, he enveloped her in a hug.

"Sigh. I'm really glad to have you around, big brother," Lucy declared with as much emotion as her robotic voice could muster, enthusiastically returning his embrace.

Lincoln smiled wider and pulled her a little closer. "I love you, too."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **I haven't actually said anything to you guys yet. so I decided that now might be a good time to extend my most gracious thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this collection so far. It really means a lot to me that there are people out there who enjoy the stories I tell. You guys are all awesome. Thank you so very much!**

 **Also, sorry for this one being so short; I didn't really want to milk this concept.**


	7. …Lana

**Sorry this one took so long, guys. I promise, I'm not dead!**

* * *

"C'mon, Lana, don't look at me like that."

Lincoln hated the puppy dog eyes. All ten of his sisters were masters of the look and could use it to get practically whatever they wanted out of him. There was just something about seeing the girls whom he adored so much look so _sad_ , even if he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that they were manipulating him.

Currently, his little sister Lana was using the eyes to drag him to the park to look for salamanders by the pond. Lincoln, never much of an outdoorsman, had just said no. Big mistake. Lana brought out the big guns.

" _Pleeeeease_ , Lincoln? Mom and Dad are too busy cleaning the kitchen, and all the older girls are at the mall. You're the only one who can take me!" the girl pleaded, her big, sad eyes staring straight into her brother's. "Me and Hops will love you _forever_!" At the sound of his name, the frog popped his head out of the front pocket of Lana's overalls.

 _Shouldn't you love me forever anyway, since I'm kind of your big brother?_ he thought sarcastically, though he frankly couldn't care less about the amphibian. "Lana, I really don't want to…"

But those eyes. They just kept staring at him, burning a hole straight through his head, through his very _soul_. How he just wanted to make it stop!

Caving, he sighed. "All right, fine," he resigned. _Man, I'm such a pushover._

Just like that, the puppy dog eyes went away, and Lana was beaming ear-to-ear. "All right! Thanks, Lincoln!"

He nodded, a disgusted grimace plastered on his face. She had won. Out of frustration, he blurted a rhetorical question that he immediately regretted:

"Why can't you just play dress-up like a normal little girl?"

As soon as the words escaped his lips, Lincoln's hands immediately flew over his mouth. _Whoa, where the heck did that come from?_

Lana narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'like a normal little girl?'" she challenged in annoyance. "Why do I have to be 'normal?'"

The boy quickly shook his head. "Lana—"

"I thought you were better than that, Linc," the six-year-old said dejectedly, turning away from her brother. "I didn't think you cared about any of us being normal. I'm sorry I like different things than a lot of other girls…I didn't know it bothered you so much. Forget the stupid park, I'm not in the mood anymore." With a disappointed sigh, she started back toward her bedroom, shaking her head.

Lincoln flopped down on his bed with a groan. "Idiot," he muttered to himself. "Why did I have to say that?" Though his desire for some alone time was all fair and good, he knew he wronged his sister by comparing her to other girls. That wasn't fair.

Lana wasn't some other girl. She was Lana—messy, handy, animal-loving Lana. And Lincoln felt like the biggest fool alive right now, daring to wish his sister would just act like a normal girl. Sure, Lana's mud and wild animals drove him crazy sometimes, but Lincoln couldn't imagine her any other way.

"Lana, wait," he called after his sister, who had only made it a few slow steps out of his bedroom. "Come back."

She turned toward him. "Why, so you can compare me to Lola or something? Tell me how much of a boy I am, compared to her?" she spat, crossing her arms.

"No. Just…please, come here for a minute," he requested.

Lana begrudgingly did as her older brother wished, reentering his room and standing in front of him with a miffed expression on her face.

"I shouldn't have said what I said," Lincoln said apologetically. "It was wrong, and I'm sorry. I just wanted a little time to myself, and…well, I guess I got carried away."

But the girl wasn't satisfied. Her expression softened, but she was still upset. "Does it really bother you? That I'm not like other girls?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Truthfully, Lana's messes and animals could get on Lincoln's nerves sometimes, requiring a bit more effort to deal with than his other sisters' interests, but he loved his little sister with all his heart. And he felt really bad about putting himself and his want for some peace and quiet ahead of that sometimes. "Lana, I don't care about how other girls act. You're you, and I love you just the way you are."

A small smile crossed Lana's lips. "Really?"

"Really," he replied, smiling back at her.

"Thanks, Lincoln," she said appreciatively. "But…I still don't feel right. I mean, that whole 'normal' thing had to come from somewhere. You've never said anything before, but you were pretty angry when you said it."

Lincoln frowned, feeling guilty. He _had_ always found it strange that Lana chose to play in her dad's toolbox while her twin sister, Lola, liked Leni's old tea party set. Lola was so much more _girly_ than Lana, and that struck their only brother as a bit odd. "I…I guess I've always been comparing you to Lola a little bit," he admitted, a deep frown forming on his face. "She just seemed like so much of, you know, a _girl_ , and—"

"Oh," Lana uttered, her smile vanishing. "I get it. You've always thought I was weird. I'm a freak compared to Lola."

Again Lincoln sighed, feeling horrible about himself. "Lana, I'm _so_ sorry. I know it's not right to think of you like that. I haven't been fair to you," he started, his voice trembling haltingly. Feeling his eyes well up, he wiped at them with his shirtsleeve. "But I want you to know that I _do_ love you for who you are. Yeah, you're pretty weird, but that's okay. I know that none of the others like mud and tools, but you're not a freak just because you do. Forget about the other girls. You can do whatever you want to do, and I'll always love you no matter what."

Seeing her big brother on the verge of tears made Lana feel strange. Part of her wanted to strangle him for comparing her to her twin her whole life, but she quickly shook that thought out of her mind. He was so genuinely sorry that he was ready to cry a river, and she didn't have the heart to deny him forgiveness.

Hopping up to sit next to him on his bed, Lana decided to forgive Lincoln. She couldn't really blame him for the comparison too much, since they lived with so many girls who had interests that society classed as feminine. "I'll forgive ya, Linc," she said with a warm smile as she leaned up against his arm. "I know I'm easy to compare…I'm not as girly as Lola. I get it."

Having successfully bitten back his tears, Lincoln shook his head and smiled a little. "You don't have to be like Lola," he replied. "I'm not going to compare you to anyone anymore, because it's wrong, and I love you because you're _you_. You don't need to be anybody else." To emphasize, he pulled his sister into his lap and gave her the sweetest hug she'd ever shared. His strong (compared to her, anyway) arms made her feel safe and warm, like nothing bad could ever happen to her while she was in them. She felt more loved at that moment than at any other point in time she could remember.

"Leni's right, you _do_ give the best hugs," Lana murmured, melting into Lincoln's arms.

The eleven-year-old smiled wider, blushing a little. "I've had a lot of practice," he replied simply, pressing a kiss into the girl's hair. Having so many sisters, hugs were a frequent occurrence, especially when Lincoln was little. With five older sisters doting upon him constantly, he'd gotten accustomed to the loving gestures and became a master at it. Though Leni and Lola were the only ones who hugged him regularly anymore, the boy still reveled in affection and put his all into a hug whenever he got one.

He finally let go after nearly ten whole minutes. "Better now?" he asked.

"Yeah, much better," Lana answered happily, grinning happily. "Thank you, Lincoln. You're the best big brother a girl could ask for."

Flattered, Lincoln chuckled. "What do you say the best big brother takes you to the park like you asked?" he suggested

"Aw, Linc, you don't have to," she politely declined. "I know you don't like hunting for salamanders. I'll go see if Dad wants to take me."

Smirking, Lincoln tried his best to emulate the puppy dog face his sisters always used on him. "But you said that you and Hops would love me _forever_!" he begged playfully, echoing her earlier pleas to him.

"Forget about Hops," Lana giggled, giving her brother another quick hug. "I'll love you forever anyway."


	8. …Lola

Lincoln couldn't believe his ears. Lola Loud, the most prestigious pageant queen in all of Royal Woods, Michigan, actually _lost_ a beauty pageant?

"What do you mean, 'she lost?'" the boy asked his father incredulously as a flash of pink whizzed past him and up the stairs.

Lynn, Sr. closed the front door and sighed. "She lost by one point because she tripped on a loose floorboard during the talent portion. Lindsey Sweetwater won it."

Inwardly, Lincoln chuckled a little, remembering when Lola's twin sister Lana fixed a loose floorboard while impersonating Lola at the last beauty pageant. But then he shook his head, scolding himself for laughing at his sister's expense, even if it wasn't out loud. "Gee, Dad, is she gonna be all right?"

"Oh, it's not like she got hurt, son," Lynn, Sr. replied with a small smile, proud of his son for looking out for the little girl. "She'll be fine, she's just upset."

"I'm gonna go talk to her," the boy decided. He knew how unpleasant (understatement) his sister was when she was angry, but he felt a little sorry for her and wanted to cheer her up. He hated seeing any of his sisters upset.

"Careful, Lincoln," his father warned. "I still have the stitches from last time she got mad at me."

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine." With that, he marched up the stairs and headed toward the twins' room. The sound of his sister's sobs grew louder and louder as he got closer to his destination, and it made him frown in sympathy. Lola was so used to winning, and now she lost for the first time for something that wasn't even her fault. Lincoln wasn't at the pageant, but he'd seen Lola dance before and was confident she wouldn't have tripped had the floorboards been secure.

When he got to the twins' closed bedroom door, he knocked softly. "Lola? Are you okay?"

Over the sound of Lola's cries, he heard Lana loudly reply, "I don't think she wants to talk right now, Linc."

"She doesn't have to," he responded, "but I want to talk to her. Could you let me in?"

The door then opened, revealing the older twin, Lana. "Welp, it's your funeral," she said with a shrug, shimmying past him out the door.

Sighing, Lincoln walked in and saw Lola sobbing loudly into her pillow. "Hey, Lola…" he hazarded.

"Get lost, Lincoln!" the six-year-old snapped through her tears.

"No, wait," he insisted. "I know you don't want to talk, but I do. Just…hear me out, will you?"

Lola didn't reply, so Lincoln decided to continue.

"Dad told me what happened," he said, sitting down at the foot of her bed. "And I want you to know it's not your fault."

Continuing to sob, she just shook her head. Nothing he could say would cheer her up. _I lost_ , she thought miserably. _Lindsey Sweetwater is better than me. I'm not a beautiful princess…I'm just a loser._

Lincoln shook his head sadly. "You should have won. I wasn't there, but I _know_ you're prettier than everyone else who was there."

"No, I'm not," Lola cried. "I lost the pageant to Lindsey. The judges thought I was ugly!"

 _Well, at least she said_ something, Lincoln thought. "No, that's not true."

"What do _you_ know, anyway? You weren't even there, like you said. I'm just a big, fat, ugly loser!" She looked up at him, her puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks making Lincoln want to scoop her up into a hug.

But, assuming she'd push him away, the eleven-year-old didn't bother. "Don't be like that," he said gently. "You've won every pageant you've entered since you were two. I'm sure the judges didn't think you were ugly. You just had a little bad luck, that's all."

"B-but I lost," she replied softly. "If I didn't win a beauty pageant, then…am I not beautiful?"

"Lola…" Lincoln's heart swelled in empathy for his little sister. He couldn't really relate to losing beauty pageants, but he knew what she was feeling—rejection. He'd felt it plenty of times, whether it be from Ronnie Anne early on in their relationship, his older sisters on occasion, or even his parents sometimes. It hurt much more than plain old disappointment, and he didn't wish that pain on anybody, no matter how much of a brat Lola was sometimes. "Don't sell yourself short. I think you're very beautiful. Much prettier than stupid Lindsey Sweetwater."

Tears still flowing down her cheeks, Lola shook her head. "You…you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"What? No, I'm not," he insisted, touching her knee and rubbing it affectionately. "Lola, you're the most beautiful little princess this silly old butler has ever had the pleasure of serving, and that's the honest truth."

Suddenly, she found herself jumping into her older brothers outstretched arms. She buried her face into his shoulder, dampening his orange polo shirt with her tears. "Y-you really think so?" she asked, her voice partially muffled by his shirt.

"Absolutely," Lincoln assured, only slightly surprised by the sudden display of affection. Though he and Lola weren't the closest amongst the siblings, she was often quick to thank him with big hugs whenever he did nice things for her. "I know you didn't win, Lola. But that doesn't make you ugly. We all think you're beautiful, no matter what you place in some dumb pageant."

"You don't mean that," Lola doubted, her tears and breathing starting to slow.

Squeezing her tighter, he pressed kiss into his sister's hair. "Every word. I promise."

"Why, though?" she questioned, pulling back to look her big brother in the eye. "Wh-why do you care so much?"

Lincoln smiled. "Lola, you're my little sister. Of course I care. This butler hates seeing his little princess so upset."

A small grin formed on Lola's face also, fresh happy tears welling in her eyes. "You're not my butler, Linky…" She embraced him again, feeling more love for her sweet older brother at that moment than she ever had in her entire six years of life. Even though she could be such a brat sometimes…even though she would blackmail, brownnose, and tattle on Lincoln more than anything that could be considered remotely fair…and even though she played a part in kicking him out of the house because of a dumb superstition Lynn, Jr. had spread…he still truly and unconditionally loved her. He didn't feel ashamed of her losing a pageant, and he didn't think she was ugly. He was more than just her tea party butler.

"…You're my prince."


	9. …Lisa

**Okay, before we begin, background. This is an attempt at a side-story for a fan-made ending to another fanfic (aka the most unoriginal idea I've ever had). The original, original fanfic is called _Requiem for a Loud_ , by UnderratedHero. It's a very sad story, so be warned, but it is one of the most well-written and emotionally powerful fanfics I've ever read. The fan-made sequel is called _Requiem for a Loud - Fan made and AU ending_ , by rctperson85. I was skeptical upon seeing the title, but it is equally emotional and well-written, a worthy continuation.** **I encourage you to** **read both of these fanfics if you haven't already, or be prepared for spoilers.**

 **And just so you know, neither one of those stories is complete yet, so things can change. This oneshot is not meant to be a sequel or continuation of the fan-made ending or the original story. This is simply my take on a conversation that could have taken place between Lincoln and Lisa at some point during the AU ending and not something to which either author need pay any merit.**

 **Oh, and by the way, sorry for being** **dead. I know there are a lot of you who enjoy these, and I hope to update more frequently moving forward.**

* * *

"Lincoln, I wish to extend my most sincere apologies for the events which transpired last night."

The white-haired boy had expected such a statement from his younger sister Lisa after she had summoned him down to the basement after breakfast. Alone. But that hadn't made him want to come down here. He didn't want to be anywhere near the dreaded machine that so vividly produced the scene of his death. He and his sisters had suffered greatly last night, and his proximity to Lisa's Dream-Caster was making him uncomfortable, eliciting painful flashbacks.

Lynn hitting him with the Frisbee in the park, his cancer diagnosis, Luan's depression, his tearful campout with Luna, his encounter with Lucy at the junkyard, the day at the park with the twins, coming to the realization that baby Lily would never remember him, dying his hair to match his natural brown color (though it was indeed white in real life and not related to any cancerous growths in his head)…and worst of all, the fall he suffered near the very end, Lisa's self-blame for not curing his disease, and finally, his last words to his sisters on his deathbed. All of these scenes flashed before poor Lincoln's eyes, forcing him to relive the horrible nightmare created by the Dream-Caster. Seeing the pain on his sisters' faces was torture in its purest form.

"Did you not hear me, elder brother?" Lisa asked after twenty seconds of silence. "I said that I—"

"M-make it stop!" Lincoln whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm fine, y-you guys! I'm not going to die, I-I promise!" He hadn't been too upset upon waking up from the dream, more shocked and relieved that he was actually alive. The terror and sorrow didn't fully hit him until he remembered his sisters' mourning, the images mercilessly replaying again and again in his head.

The young scientist pushed her spectacles up her nose. _Perhaps I should not have brought him near the Dream-Caster after last night's incident. It seems to have induced moderate emotional trauma._

Immediately upon hearing Lincoln start to cry, the remaining eight Loud sisters (Lily in Luan's arms) came stampeding down the basement stairs and surrounded their only brother in a giant group hug. Murmurs of, "What's the matter, Lincoln?" and "It's okay, bro," droned on while Lisa stood separate from the group. This was her fault, and she wasn't sure if she could ever forgive herself.

 _How could I be so foolish as to let this happen?_ she scolded silently to herself. _I was aware of the fact that death, even perceived death, can have traumatic psychological effects on a person. It is unacceptable that even the sister units should have had to suffer such pain. But Lincoln was the one who died, and he was the one to see our grief. I cannot begin to imagine such a state of emotional chaos I have put our poor brother through. It was within my power during the Dream-Caster's assembly and development to prevent the occurrence of death in a subject's dream, power I neglected to use because of the infinitesimal possibility of such a circumstance affecting our immediate family in our specific, unique dream. Alas, infinitesimal is not zero, and I, as a scientist, have failed my family by allowing Lincoln to die._

Lisa was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Leni yell at her. "Lisa, why did you bring Linky back down here? Like, did you really think wanted to be anywhere near your horrible nightmare-maker thing again?"

The four-year-old crossed her arms. "I was merely trying to—"

"Use him as a guinea pig again!?" Luna snapped. "It almost looked like you were going to hook him back up to the machine! Leave him alone, 'Plug In Baby'!"

"Luna, that's not—" started Lisa.

"Zip it, airhead," Lynn hissed. "We need to get him out of here." Turning her attention to Lincoln, she stroked his white hair in an attempt to soothe him. The boy was no longer in tears, but he was still visibly shaking and his breaths were shuddery as he was recovering from his traumatic flashback.

Lisa shook her head. "No. If you would just allow me explain—"

"You've done enough, Lisa," Lucy monotoned shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Let her speak."

The room went silent upon hearing Lincoln's soft request. The soothing murmurs from the sisters ceased, and all eyes were on the eleven-year-old.

"Family unit, but most importantly Lincoln, I am terribly sorry for the events which transpired last evening," the scientist spoke. "I assume full responsibility for the simulation which my creation has produced—though the realism and time scale were most impressive—and wish to redeem myself for my actions."

"That's great and all, Lisa," replied Lori, who was currently kneeling down and running her hands up and down Lincoln's arms. "But you literally made us think Lincoln was dying. Don't you understand the pain that put us all through? And poor Lincoln, having to break the news to everybody, seeing everyone he knows and loves cry—Lisa, you really hurt him. And you had the nerve to bring him back down here, in front of that—that _thing_? Give me one good reason I shouldn't literally turn you into a human pretzel right now."

"As I explained before, the scene the Dream-Caster created was completely random and not in my control," Lisa said calmly. "However, I did not take into account the fact that death was a possible scenario because of the remote chance of it happening. I knew the possibility existed, and I did nothing to prevent it."

"WHAT?!" Lola shrieked. "Lisa, you could have prevented this from ever happening! This is all your fault!"

The sisters broke their huddle around Lincoln to glower at Lisa, and the little genius gulped. Lincoln looked at her with big, sad eyes and simply croaked, "Lisa, that really messed us up…"

Before the seven bigger girls could advance toward Lisa, the four-year-old crossed her arms. "I know, elder brother…which is why I am going to destroy the Dream-Caster so that it can never hurt anyone, ever again."

This seemed to satisfy the scathing sisters, who backed off. "Good," Luan said angrily. "I'd crack a joke, but the only thing funny about this situation is how you think that you can make this up somehow."

Lisa walked over the Dream-Caster and unplugged its main power supply. "This is the first step. In the near future I will return here with proper containers for the radioactive material used to power the machine when it's plugged in. In meantime…" She produced a wire-cutter and snipped the Dream-Caster's power cord. "…this will prevent the Dream-Caster from ever turning on."

The sisters glanced at one another, murmuring about whether or not to let Lisa off the hook for the emotional trauma she'd put them through.

"All right, Lisa," Lori declared, "we'll do our best to move on from this. But you're literally going to have to earn our forgiveness. You're on thin ice."

"Understood, eldest sister," the scientist responded. "I assure you that I will be working toward that point with every fiber of my being. I do not wish to become what you call a 'human pretzel.'"

With that, the sisters walked back up the stairs, and Lisa turned back to her invention. "Now," she mused to herself, "how do I go about safely destroying a machine with a stainless steel unibody in the house without starting a dangerous chemical fire by heating up the radioactive compounds inside?"

"Lisa, look at me."

Turning, Lisa saw Lincoln still standing in the middle of the room. She had thought he'd gone upstairs with their sisters, still reeling from his flashback and needing their comfort.

"Lincoln, you shouldn't still be here."

"I'm worried about you."

That puzzled the young girl. "Why? You are clearly having an emotional crisis—which is completely warranted by the situation you've suffered."

"Because you blame yourself," the eleven-year-old replied. "You think that it's your fault."

Looking him directly in the eyes, she frowned. "It _is_ my fault. I created the Dream-Caster, and thus, the reality in which you perished before our very eyes. What part of our conversation with the sisters did you not understand?"

He shook his head and walked up to his sister. "I forgive you, Lisa. You had no idea what alternate reality that thing would cook up. You couldn't have known."

"You don't get it, Lincoln. I failed you. In real life, _and_ in the dream."

 _So_ that's _why she's so upset_ , he thought. "You don't honestly think I died because of _you_ , do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Then why—?"

"…I _know_ you died because of me." And with that, the little scientist, for only the fourth time in her entire life, felt her eyes tear up. "I could have saved you."

"Lisa, no." The boy shook his head. "I told you—"

"I kn-know what you t-told me!" she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "B-but it's true! M-my treatment was n-ninety-nine percent synthesized! I-I would have f-finished it if I hadn't s-stayed with you on your d-deathbed!"

The information hit Lincoln like a truck. "You…you really could have saved me." Blinking the thought away and shaking his head again, he sighed. No use thinking about what could have been…the scenario hadn't even been real, anyway. "But it wouldn't have mattered. It was all just a dream. A horrible nightmare, but…just a dream."

"B-but you _died_! And it was all my f-fault!" Lisa stammered, clutching Lincoln's legs.

He inhaled deeply. He could try to convince her all he wanted to that it wasn't her fault, but the more he thought about it, the more he came to the realization that she was right. It was Lisa's fault, even if it was just a horrible, accidental stroke of bad luck the dream turned the way it did. And yes, she _had_ had a shot at preventing his death in completing her cure. Perhaps that last hour she spent with him could have been used to finish the chemical's synthesis.

But he couldn't find it in his heart to be angry with his little sister. She hadn't meant to cause so much suffering. All the siblings, sans Lily, agreed to join in Lisa's experiment without knowing what they were getting into first. So perhaps they all shared in the blame for not thinking about the possible realities a random dream generator could create. They should have been more prepared. Or they could have opted out of the experiment. Surely Lincoln and the seven sisters were partially at fault.

So, rather than argue with Lisa about who was at fault, Lincoln decided to comfort her by showing her he was all right. "No, I didn't. I'm right here."

"I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry, Lincoln!" Lisa cried, squeezing her brother's legs tighter.

He sighed again and knelt down to her level, putting his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, Lisa. I promise, it's all okay. I'm here, I'm alive. I'm not going to leave you anytime soon."

Human emotion was below Lisa, as far as she was normally concerned, but right now she couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty. Her elder brother, after all she had put him through, still found it in his heart to forgive her. It defied all logic.

"H-how can you forgive me s-so easily?" she asked through her tears. "I-I use you as a t-test subject— _a guinea pig_ —and this time, I-I _really_ went too far. A-and you still brush it off, like it's nothing. Y-you should hate me."

"I could never hate you," Lincoln said without hesitation. "You are my sister, Lisa, and I will always love you, no matter what you do. I forgive you, because I know that you would never do something to hurt me, or any of our sisters on purpose. This entire nightmare was a total accident. You say you're above human emotion, but I know that somewhere deep down, you love us just as much as we love you."

Lisa wrapped her arms around Lincoln, his speech working wonders to calm her down. Her tears still fell, but that was okay. They fell onto her brother, who was still very much alive and loved her very much. "It's not as deep as you might think, dear brother."

* * *

 **Did the ending feel rushed? I don't** **know, upon reading this a second time I wish I could make it longer, but I'm afraid I might ruin it if I draw it out. I think I'm going to leave it like this.** **Hope you liked it.**


	10. …Lily

My eyes flutter open. Morning sunlight shines through a crack in the curtains, casting my bedroom in a soft glow.

That's not right.

Usually when I wake up in the morning, the lights are on. My big sister Lisa is always working on some crazy project in her lab on the other side of the room. Where is she?

"Lisa?" I call as I carefully swing my legs over the bar of my crib. I climb out safely and toddle around my room, wondering where my sister is. She's always right there to change my diaper in the morning. It's starting to make me uncomfortable, so I begin to cry. Life is rough when you're a baby!

Suddenly, my bedroom door opens, and in steps my knight in shining armor. My big brother! "Good morning, Lily!" Lincoln greets, kneeling down to meet my eyes. "Whatcha crying for?"

Temporarily forgetting about my dirty diaper, I smile widely and run up to give him a big hug. "Winky!"

He sure didn't forget. "Whoa there, sis!" he exclaims, holding me at arm's length and wrinkling his nose. "Let's change your diaper first. Wouldn't want to get my nice clean shirt all covered in—"

"Poo-poo!" I babble, clapping my hands. I can't wait to get out of this stinky thing! Why don't the big people have to change their diapers?

Fortunately for my brother, Lisa built a machine that changes my diaper so that she doesn't get her hands dirty. something about "not contaminating the experiments" or some other big grown-up words. Lincoln puts me in the machine, and thirty seconds later I emerge with a new, clean diaper. I don't know where all the old ones go, but then again I probably don't want to.

"There we go, Lily. All clean!" Lincoln coos, picking me up. I wrap my arms around his neck in affection and give a big, slobbery kiss on his cheek as a show of gratitude for changing me.

He laughs. "Aww, you're welcome. Come on, let's go downstairs and get you some breakfast."

"Yum-yum," I agree.

As he carefully carries me up the hallway and down the stairs, I notice that it's deathly quiet. There's no Luna playing her guitar, no Lynn throwing her football, and no Lola driving her princess car. We make it downstairs into the dining room, but it's empty too. No Lori tapping away at her phone, no Luan making funny jokes, and no Lana sticking French toast sticks up her nose. And when we arrive in the kitchen, I notice that there's no Leni trying to remember how to open the fridge, no Lucy giving burnt waffles a funeral service, and no Lisa testing the tap water's chlorine levels.

"Sorry, Lily, it's just you and me today," Lincoln says, noticing my confusion as he puts me down in my high chair. "Mom and Dad took the girls out of town to Lola's beauty pageant. I'd be there for her, but Dad wanted to go to this one, and someone needs to watch you." Then he winked at me and whispered, "Good excuse, right?"

Not completely understanding, I laugh and clap my hands. I'm just happy he's here and not gone like all the girls. I wouldn't want to be alone all day. Who would feed me and change my diaper?

"What does Lily want for breakfast?" he asks in a singsong voice, opening up the fridge. "Applesauce or bananas?"

"Banana!" I reply quickly. I love bananas!

"I thought so," he says with a smile, bringing me the bowl of yellow mush and a spoon. Then, he makes a mistake by turning away to toast himself a waffle.

Of course, I can't let this opportunity go to waste. Now's my chance, while he's not looking!

 _SPLAT!_

Lincoln turns, a knowing smirk on his face. What? I don't know how that glop got on his cheek. Maybe he should have paid attention.

"Hey, don't play with your food," he chides gently, wiping his face with a paper towel.

I just laugh and fire another mushy round from my spoon catapult. But he's quick to dodge, and the banana splatters on the counter.

Lincoln shakes his head. "Lily, that's _your_ banana," he giggles, "not mine!"

I clap my hands again, amused at this new game. I ready the catapult for another shot, but he's expecting it this time and grabs the spoon out of my hand.

"Okay, Lily," he says, a serious tone in his voice. "I want you to eat your banana, or else we won't watch _Blarney the Dinosaur_ after breakfast."

"Blarney!" I demand, banging my fists on my high chair tray. He wouldn't _dare_ deprive me of my favorite cartoon!

"If you want Blarney," he replies, handing my spoon back to me, "then eat your breakfast."

The tone in his voice leaves no room for negotiation. Besides, I _am_ genuinely hungry. So, as he sits down to his breakfast, I happily chow down on mine. Bananas are my favorite! The one downside to banana is that somehow, no matter how hard I try to be clean, it gets all over my face, and forehead, and hair. Well, maybe I wasn't trying, per se, but I didn't exactly _want_ to get cold, sticky banana mush all over me.

"What a mess!" Lincoln laughs, throwing his arms up in the air. "Now I have to clean you up!"

"Yucky!" I squeal, throwing my arms up over my head like my brother did.

With near superhuman speed, he's standing over me with a damp cloth in his hand and a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry, sis. I know you don't like this, but I gotta wipe your face."

The cloth is cold against my skin, forcing me to clench my eyes shut and recoil. Gah, I hate it when the big people wipe my face! It's cold and wet, and it blocks my eyes! After a good twenty seconds of scrubbing, Lincoln removes the cloth from my face. Glad that's over.

"There we—Lily, how did you get banana in your _ear_?"

Oh, brother, not again!

Actually, the cloth doesn't feel too weird on my ear. It tickles a little, which makes me laugh.

"Hey, hold still!" Lincoln chuckles. "I'm almost done." Carefully, he uses his finger under the cloth to wipe away the remaining gunk from my ear. Now I'm all nice and clean!

After tossing the used cloth onto the counter, Lincoln lifts me up out of my high chair and starts carrying me to the living room. "All right, Lily, let's go watch Blarney!"

* * *

Of course, I don't _really_ want to watch _Blarney the Dinosaur_. I-it's for Lily, I swear! I outgrew that stupid show years ago.

It's not like I'm actually paying attention to the green dinosaur and his big purple belly, singing along to the stupid theme song with a big, stupid grin on my face for the last hour. What am I, some kind of baby?

I bounce my baby sister on my lap to the rhythm of Blarney's theme song as the millionth episode in a row begins to play (gotta love Webflix). She laughs and claps her hands. "Blarney! Blarney!"

See? It's not for _me_ , Lily enjoys it!

A couple minutes into the episode—some spiel about sharing—I hear a soft little yawn. "Is somebody tired?" I ask, craning my neck to look at Lily.

"No," she insists, shaking her head for emphasis. Her drooping eyelids suggest otherwise.

I grab the remote and shut the TV off before turning Lily around to face me. "I have a hard time believing that," I say with a smile. "How's about your big brother tells you a story to help you fall asleep?"

"Story!" she echoes.

"All right," I reply, setting her down next to me. She snuggles up to my arm, making my heart flutter a little. "Ready?"

"Story, story!" she insists.

With a small laugh, I begin. "Once upon a time, there was a little princess named Lily."

Lily smiles, interested. "Ooooh."

"The beautiful Princess Lily woke up one morning and found that she was all alone. Queen Mommy and King Daddy were nowhere in the castle. And neither were the nine pretty serva—I mean, helpers." I don't think I want to paint Lily the picture that our sisters are servants. That wouldn't go over very well if they found out.

"The only other person in the castle was the brave knight, Sir Lincoln. Their Majesties Mommy and Daddy trusted Sir Lincoln to take care of Princess Lily while they took the helpers to the royal ball. When the princess couldn't find any of the helpers, she got very sad.

"But then, Sir Lincoln appeared. He helped the princess get dressed, and he made her breakfast, and he even took her to a puppet show about a dinosaur. They had such a good time!"

I hear another yawn, and upon looking down at Lily I find that she's teetering on the edge of consciousness. Thinking quickly, I stand up to grab Lily's blanket on the other side of the room. Upon covering her with the soft lavender fabric, I continue the story.

"In fact, they had so much fun that Princess Lily got really, really sleepy. So Sir Lincoln gave the princess her blankie, and sent her off to sleep with a big kiss." I give Lily a kiss on her forehead, and to my delight she is fast asleep.

The warm, fluttery feeling in my chest makes me smile as widely as I ever have.

"Night-night, Princess Lily," I whisper. "Linky loves you."


	11. …Long-Distance Love

**Hey, everyone! Long time no see, but this (LATE, I know) Valentine's Day chapter might make up for it a little bit. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Lincoln was strangely quiet this morning.

The chatter around the breakfast table was, as Lisa had pointed out, "lacking the usual timbre produced by Lincoln's voice," and immediately all nine pairs of eyes were on the white-haired child.

"Oh, he's just bummed because he can't see his precious _Ronnie Anne_ ," Lynn teased, shooting her brother a smirk.

This was true. Lincoln hadn't said a word to anyone this morning because of today's date: February 14th. Valentine's Day was the talk of the household—dates with boyfriends (or in Luna's case, girlfriend) after school, potential love interests the girls were hoping to get cards from, the cutest boys in town, and all that jazz. Not that romance in itself bothered him, but it was a little bit of a sore subject because the only girl he'd ever had true feelings for moved away last summer. Without Ronnie Anne here with him, he felt a little left out.

That being said, the boy was still a little confused as to what he and his friend really _were_ —just friends, an item, a couple? After all, they were only eleven. Could they really understand an emotion as complicated as non-familial love at their age?

And it was for this reason that Lincoln quickly snapped back at Lynn, "No, I'm not! I'm just…feeling a little under the weather." He faked a cough. "Besides, Ronnie Anne is _not_ my girlfriend, and Valentine's Day is a stupid holiday, anyway."

"I concur, older brother," Lisa said with a nod of her head. "St. Valentine's Day is but a gross example of corporate greed. It's a phony holiday for desperate men to waste far too much money on things their mates, or potential mates, don't need."

The whole table erupted in counterargument, much to Lincoln's relief. The spotlight was off of him, and now he could sulk in peace. "What?" he whispered, to no one in particular. "You know they'll tease me to no end if I tell them I'm missing Ronnie Anne on Valentine's Day."

* * *

School was usually a drag, but today it only stood to make poor Lincoln even more miserable. Now, the eleven-year-old was by no means the most popular kid in class, but he didn't mind not being noticed. He wasn't picked on very often, and he had a small circle of friends who loved him, so he was happy for the most part.

The problem with being a nobody, though, was girls. They never knew he even existed, and he could never strike up the courage to talk to them. But once he'd started hanging out with Ronnie Anne, things changed. Lincoln grew attached to her, enough so that although he never really figured out what they were, he stopped noticing other girls altogether.

And then, she left. She moved out of state, and that was that. He missed her immensely, but he coped by calling and texting her every day or two. They video-chatted regularly, and he had even visited her in the city once. It wasn't the same, but Lincoln managed to keep his head up.

Today, though, that was not the case. He wound up getting a whopping four valentines from girls in his class. He knew he should be happy, but none of those girls were _her_. It made him sick to his stomach.

He couldn't decline them—that would be rude—so he was stuck with them. Currently they were in a neat stack at his seat in the lunchroom. His friends gaped at him in awe.

"Golly, Lincoln! Someone sure is gettin' some lovin' today, eh?" Liam commented.

"Yeah, you got more valentines than me," Rusty complained.

Zach rolled his eyes. "You didn't get any, Rusty. None of us did."

"Actually," Clyde chimed in, adjusting his glasses and grinning smugly, "Penelope and I exchanged cards on the way to school."

Lincoln put his face in his hands. _Well, I'm glad I got a ride from Lori this morning. Seeing Clyde and Penelope probably would've made me feel worse._

Clyde patted his best friend's shoulder. "You okay, buddy?"

"He's probably just thinkin' 'bout how he's gonna have to break the bad new to three o' them lasses," Liam said longingly. "He can't have 'em all, y'know."

"Not at the same time, anyway," Zach added with a shrug.

"Well, I guess that means three girls are about to be looking for rebound guys," Rusty pointed out. "We can still get some love today if we're lucky."

 _But I can't_ , Lincoln thought miserably.

* * *

Lincoln opted to walk home today. Although February in Royal Woods could get quite cold, the sidewalks were plowed, and the boy thought that maybe some fresh air and exercise would get his mind off things.

Clyde decided to tag along with him, and that made Lincoln a little uncomfortable. His friend would probably pester him as to why he was so glum today, but he ultimately decided it would be better to spill to him than to his sisters. It would be embarrassing, but at least Clyde wouldn't tease him.

The walk began in awkward silence, with the two boys walking briskly to minimize exposure in the cold Michigan winter. But soon they passed Ronnie Anne's old house, where Lincoln briefly looked up and gave a melancholy sigh.

Clyde heard this and tapped his friend on the shoulder. "Call it a hunch, but does Ronnie Anne have anything to do with why you've been acting so strange today, Linc?"

Stopping in his tracks, Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, I kinda miss her," he said simply, not facing Clyde.

"That sigh sounded like more than just 'kinda.'"

"Maybe."

"It's okay, you know. She _is_ your friend, you have a right to miss her."

"Can you keep a secret?" Lincoln turned around, the expression on his face hard to read.

Clyde nodded. What were best friends for? "Yeah, of course."

"I do miss Ronnie Anne, but that's not the whole story," Lincoln began. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I like her, Clyde. Like, _really_ like her. And I wish she were here so I could do something for because it's Valentine's Day, but she's so far away. And now I've got all these cards from these other girls who I though didn't even know I existed, and I know I should be happy, but I'm not, because they're not her, and—"

"Whoa there, buddy, you're babbling," Clyde interrupted with a smile. "But I get it."

"You do?" Lincoln asked. When the other boy nodded, he chewed his lip. "You're not going to tease me about it, are you?"

Clyde laughed. "What? No, of course not! Why would I tease you?"

Lincoln shrugged. "I dunno, this whole thing seems a little stupid now that I think about it. I mean, I'm an eleven-year-old kid pining for a girl who lives two hundred miles away and getting upset because none of the _four_ valentines he got was from her."

"Well, it does sound weird when you put it that way," Clyde replied, "but it's not stupid. I mean, if you have feelings for Ronnie Anne, it makes sense that you'd miss her on Valentine's Day. And besides, you're my best friend. I'm not gonna tease you just because you like someone. After all, you never say anything about me liking Lori, and she's _way_ out of my league. And your sister."

"Thanks, Clyde," Lincoln said with a small smile, giving his friend a quick hug. "You're the best."

Clyde patted Lincoln's back. "That's what my dads always tell me. Now, let's keep moving. I don't want to get frostbite out here."

* * *

Lincoln arrived home a little later than usual, thanks to his conversation with Clyde. Not that he minded, of course, as his friend _had_ made him feel better. Still, though, he wished he could be with Ronnie Anne today. The valentines he had gotten at school were very nice, but they didn't fill the void in his heart that _she_ had left.

Sighing, he opened the front door of his house and was immediately greeted with a loud " _SURPRISE!"_ that made him jump.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lincoln!" exclaimed a brightly beaming Leni, holding a big, heart-shaped red piece of paper out to him.

Looking past Leni, Lincoln could see all nine of his remaining sisters huddled together, looking at him with big smiles on their faces. "G-girls? What's going on?"

Luna stepped up beside Leni. "We saw how bummed you were this morning, dude. So we made you a little something to cheer you up."

"Yeah," Lori popped up behind them. "We knew you weren't feeling under the weather this morning, so we thought we'd do something nice for you."

"Read the note!" piped Luan. "I'm sure you'll find it _heartwarming_! Get it?"

"O-okay, well…thank you." Lincoln wasn't really sure what else to say, so he took the card and read the message:

 _We know the girl you're crushing on can't be with you today_

 _But not to worry, you'll still have some love coming your way_

 _Although it may be differently from true romance and such_

 _The ten girls that are here with you all love you very much._

Underneath the poem was a picture that Clyde had taken of all the Loud siblings in a group hug from last summer.

Lincoln looked up, a huge smile on his face. "Aw, you guys…I-I don't know what to say."

Lola and Lana sure did though. They scurried up to hug his legs and said in unison, "We love you, Lincoln."

The boy gasped, not used to having so much affection poured onto him like this. It felt…good. It felt _right_. A lump formed in his throat. "I love you guys, too. More than anything," he replied tearily, without hesitation.

A chorus of "Awww"s sounded, and all ten Loud sisters gathered around their brother in a group hug. A lone tear made its way down his left cheek. Lily noticed and quickly kissed it away. "Linky boo-boo?" she asked.

"Aww, no boo-boo, Lily. Linky's happy. So, so happy," Lincoln replied, taking his baby sister into his arms.

Suddenly, the white-haired child felt a vibration in his pants pocket. "O-oh, I'm sorry guys. Let me—" He took out his phone using his free hand, about to turn the vibration off, when he saw the caller ID. "Oh, it's Ronnie Anne."

The girls squealed with glee, disbanding the hug. "Answer it, bro!" Luna encouraged, taking Lily from him.

"O-okay, but it's a video call. I think I should—"

"It's okay, Lincoln," Lori assured him. "You can go. I think this is private." The other sisters chipped in words of approval.

"O-okay." Lincoln dashed upstairs to his bedroom, where he could have some privacy, and answered his phone.

"Ronnie Anne, hey!"

"Hey, Lame-o, I gotta—" the skater girl started, but she stopped when she noticed the Lincoln's puffy eyes. "Hey, have you been crying?"

He nodded. "A little. It's okay, my sisters just did something _really_ nice for me. Sorry I look like such a baby."

She shook her head and laughed. "It's okay. You're going soft without me there, aren't you?"

He laughed with her. "I-I guess so. Maybe you should come visit, whip me back into shape."

"I will, soon. My mom says I can go see you during spring break if I keep my grades up," she replied. "Get ready, because I'm pulling straight A's right now."

"Good. I miss you," he blurted, not realizing what he'd said until after the words came out. _Dummy, now you're going all mushy on her! What are you thinking?!_

Silence. Ronnie Anne brushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. "R-really?" she asked, after twenty agonizing seconds.

Lincoln swallowed hard. "Well, yeah. You _are_ my friend, after all. Friends miss each other, don't they?" _Oh, real smooth._

"Uh…y-yeah, of course. Friends," she responded. After a brief pause, she told him, "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk about."

A feeling of dread washed over him. Did he do something wrong? Did she not want to be his friend anymore? "Um…okay," he uttered nervously.

Ronnie Anne smiled and shook her head again. "You didn't do anything wrong. Far from it, actually."

She opened her mouth to continue, but a voice shouted from behind her bedroom door: "Ronalda, dinner's almost ready! Wash up, please!"

"Ugh," she groaned. "Thanks for ruining the moment, Mom. Sorry, Lame-O, I've got to split. But, uh…"

Lincoln frowned in disappointment. "Hmm?"

"Oh, come on. Don't look at me like that," Ronnie Anne said playfully. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded, a small smile forming on his face. "Yeah, absolutely. I'll call you after school tomorrow."

She smiled back and opened her mouth to say something, but then she decided against it. She looked away for a moment and took a deep breath, like she was gearing up to say something important, before shaking her head. Turning back to her phone, she said, "I love you," and hung up.

Those three words hit Lincoln like a ton of bricks. _Did…did Ronnie Anne just say that…that she—_ loves _me?_

"I-I love you, too." He didn't hear himself say it, and Ronnie Anne certainly didn't hear him, having hung up already, but he did indeed say it. He loved her. She loved him. They were _in love_. They were…together _._

Lincoln was snapped out of his trance by his sisters' collective squeal of glee, followed by a large herd of animals running up the stairs and down the hallway.

"Lincoln, we heard everything!" Leni exclaimed as she opened the bedroom door. "We're so happy for you!"

The mob of sisters voiced its agreement.

Normally, Lincoln would not take kindly to his personal space being violated like this, but he was still processing what had just happened. "R-Ronnie Anne…loves me."

"Course she does, Linc!" Lynn said, walking over to give her little brother a punch on the arm. "She'd be stupid _not_ to love you."

"I-I just can't believe it," the boy breathed incredulously. "Someone actually loves me. I-I belong to somebody."

"But you've always belonged to us, Lincoln," Lana pointed out, confused. "And we've always loved you."

Luna patted the little tomboy's shoulders. "What he means is different, Lans. He found a chick outside our fam who loves him just as much as we do."

"And you totes deserve it, Linky," Leni added. "You're the sweetest, most thoughtful and caring boy I've ever met. You're gonna make Ronnie Anne super happy."

"Yeah, you already make us super happy," Lola said. "You're the world's greatest brother."

Lori walked over and kissed her little brother on the forehead. "And you'll literally be the world's greatest boyfriend. Congratulations, Lincoln."

Lincoln, touched by his sisters' kind words, smiled wider than he ever had before. He stood up and threw himself into the arms of all ten Loud sisters. "Do you guys really mean all that?"

"Every word," Lisa replied, hugging Lincoln around the ankles. "Happy Valentine's Day, elder brother unit."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lincoln!" the sisters chorused.

"I love you guys," Lincoln said happily, reveling in the affection. Maybe this wasn't such a stupid holiday after all.


	12. …Lori’s Talk

**I'm alive…ALIVE!!! Also, I don't know why I like to make people cry in these. Am I a bad person?**

Lori was her family's biggest supporter—as the eldest Loud, she had to be. Any time one of her siblings had a big event, she was there to cheer them on. But today, she decided, Lynn's soccer game would have to go on without her. The seventeen-year-old had other, more important matters to attend to.

Lori's concern was centered upon her little brother, Lincoln. He'd stayed after school to help prepare for the end-of-the-year assembly next week and couldn't make Lynn's game, so he was walking home and would have been by himself if Lori hadn't stayed. Now, he was eleven and could certainly handle a couple hours alone, but the girl was a little worried about him. Lately, she noticed, he'd been quiet, and rather closed off. He never ate more than a couple forkfuls of dinner before retreating to his bedroom, and he hardly spoke to anyone in the family anymore.

It had been about a week since Lincoln was allowed to take off his Royal Woods Squirrels mascot suit. Lori suspected he was still a little ticked off about the whole incident, as he had been locked out of the house for a night and then had to keep the stuffy suit on for a whole day at the beach, in ninety-degree heat, before Lynn let him get rid of it the day after. But, strangely, the boy was on good terms with Lynn, the very sister whose superstitions had gotten him into that whole mess. The athlete must have apologized to him at some point, but that didn't explain why he was so distant with the rest of the family. If he and Lynn were cool, then it should have been over, right?

Lori was snapped out of her thoughts when a flash of orange whizzed past her perch at the bottom of the stairway. "Whoa, Lincoln! What's the rush?"

"Bathroom!" came the response. She heard the slamming of a door and decided to head up to the doorway of her brother's room. They needed to talk.

After a minute or so, the bathroom door opened, revealing an irritated Lincoln. Why was Lori blocking his room?

"Um…Lori, could I get by?" he asked, walking up to her.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," she replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Can I come in?"

Strange. His sisters had, for the most part, left him alone this past week, noticing his demeanor and electing not to bother him. But he couldn't refuse Lori, lest he find himself knotted into a human pretzel. "Yeah, sure," he said hesitantly.

The two walked into Lincoln's small closet-turned-bedroom, Lori closing the door behind her while Lincoln sat on his bed. "Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"No, no," the girl denied, pulling the chair from his dresser-slash-desk to sit across from him. "You've just been…quiet lately. Are you okay?"

He scrunched up his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she responded, giving him a quizzical look. "You aren't talking to anyone, you're in your room all the time, and you hardly eat at dinner. I'm literally worried about you, Lincoln."

"Well, don't be. I'm fine." He crossed his arms.

She sighed. "Don't be like that. I want to help you."

"Why?" he asked. "What do you care if I'm not?"

"You're my brother," she said, crossing her arms to match his body language. "Of course I care."

He looked away. "You sure didn't care when I was locked out of the house all night," he said. There wasn't much venom in his statement, just…hurt. "Or trapped in an itchy mascot suit all day in the hot sun. Maybe I'm being a baby about it, but I'm still upset."

She expected that. "But I thought you and Lynn literally made up."

"We did," he confirmed.

"So why are you acting like this?" She reached out to rub his knee. "I think there's something deeper here. Please, Lincoln, talk to me."

"Something deeper?" Lincoln echoed. "There's no 'something deeper.' I'm upset that I had to suffer through all that, and nobody thought to do anything about it. Nobody cared! That's it!"

"And we're literally sorry," Lori replied. "Look, I know it may not mean a whole lot, but it's true. We lost your trust, and now we're all going to work on getting it back. You have every right to still be upset, but I think I can speak for all our sisters when I say we literally hate to see you like this."

"I know," he said quietly, bringing his knees up and hugging them to his chest. "I hate feeling like this."

She frowned. "It'll pass," she assured sympathetically. She wanted so badly to hug him, but he hadn't fully forgiven her yet and would probably push her away.

"I guess," he replied, looking back up at his eldest sister. "Look, I'm sorry for acting the way I've been. It's not really fair. I mean, I made up with Lynn already…it should be over."

"But it's not," she said pointedly, standing up. "There's clearly something else bothering you."

He licked his lips nervously. "I-I don't…" he started, but he cut himself off with a sigh. "It's stupid, Lori, really. You'd laugh."

She raised an eyebrow. "Please. I literally locked you out of your bedroom over a dress," she said with a smirk. "If that's not stupid, I don't know what is."

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess. But…but this is different," he insisted.

"You can tell me literally anything," she responded sincerely, now feeling very concerned. What could be eating away at him so badly?

"O-okay, but…don't be mad," he pleaded timidly, fidgeting with his hands.

Lori put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "I won't. Now, go ahead."

With a deep breath, Lincoln began. "Lori, I feel…different. Like I don't belong."

The girl was puzzled. "What do you mean?" she inquired, sitting down next to her little brother and rubbing his back with her hand.

"Well, you guys treat me different. I mean…I-I'm not an angel, but isn't locking me out at night a little much? And making me wear a scratchy costume all day in the hot sun?" His arms were crossed again, and his breath was labored. "All just to teach me a lesson?"

Is this what he wanted? To vent his frustrations about not getting his way all the time? Lori didn't want to call Lincoln a brat when he was so upset—that would just be cruel—but she thought he sure was acting like one. "Look, Lincoln, we literally may have been a little harsh, but life isn't always fair. Lynn and I both apologized."

"But nobody else did," he snapped, his voice growing louder. "And this isn't the only time I've felt like this. What about when you guys made me your personal servant at Scratchy Bottom Campground? Or when you beat me up for finding a quarter in the couch? You guys got us banned from the grocery store all because I wanted to get a new cereal, ruined the family road trip just because I wanted a good seat in the car, and sold all my stuff because of a white lie that you let spiral out of control! You make me feel like dirt all the time, and I'm dang tired of it!" Once he finished his rant, he took note of his temper and felt how flush his face was. He inhaled deeply through his nose in an attempt to calm himself down.

Lori pursed her lips in tense silence. Yes, all of those situations were intended to teach Lincoln a lesson, but the boy did have a point. Did it really have to come down to physical abuse or depriving him of all his things? She took a quick glance around his room and noticed that his Muscle Fish clock, his desk, and his XPlay Switch, as well as some other miscellaneous things, had not yet been replaced. Looking back at him, she noticed his shaking shoulders and his quivering lips. Poor kid.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, holding back tears he felt he didn't deserve to shed. Not wanting his sister to see him in such a state, he looked away. "I kn-know I sound like a b-brat, and you girls do a lot for me, b-but sometimes I feel like I'm…an outsider. L-like I'm beneath you all, and I-I don't belong here." He felt the salty liquid dripping down his cheeks and brought his hands up to cover his face in a feeble attempt to hide his weeping.

Heavy silence, save for Lincoln's sniffles, ensued. Lori continued to rub his back, unable to find the right thing to say to him. Well, Lori, you pushed him, now you literally made him cry. Hope you're proud of yourself. She was disgusted with herself. It was her job as Lincoln's oldest sister to guide and protect him, not treat him like garbage. Instead of him looking up to her, he was probably a little afraid of her, as well as the rest of their sisters. She supposed that all his examples had originally been well-intentioned, but how far did they really need to go to teach him a lesson? No one deserved to be treated the way they treated him.

It made her a little angry. Partially at their sisters (sans baby Lily), but mostly at herself. How could she let this happen? Frustrated, she let out a growl. "I've failed you," she muttered.

Lincoln looked up at her, his eyes still brimming with unshed tears. "Huh?'

"I said, I've failed you," Lori repeated. She shook her head in self-deprecation. "I'm supposed to protect you, and here you are, literally feeling like sh—err, like dirt—when I could have prevented all of it."

"O-oh." He was confused. Was she mad at him? "I'm—"

"Don't apologize, I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly, interrupting him. "I…I just had no idea you felt that way. You must literally hate us."

He wiped at his eyes, having calmed a bit. "Wh-what? I could never hate you. I-I kind of thought that…m-maybe you guys hated me."

She gasped. Now she wanted to cry. Her baby brother thought she hated him? What kind of monster was she? "No, Linky…never," she breathed shakily, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Never in a million years. We love you so much…I'm so sorry I let this happen…" Was her mascara running?

"It's not your fault, Lori," he replied quickly, returning her hug. "I-I'm just a big old baby. I shouldn't feel this way."

She released him and brought her hands up to his face. "Don't say that," she admonished gently, cupping his tear-stained cheeks. "You have every right to feel like that. We've done some messed-up stuff to you…I literally should have put a stop to it. It's my job as your big sister…and I've failed." The words left a bitter taste in her mouth, but in her mind they were true.

"That's not true," he replied, leaning into his sister's loving touch. "I never said anything…it's my fault."

Lori stroked Lincoln's cheeks with her thumbs. "Let's make a deal, okay?" she suggested, a watery smile coming to her lips.

He smiled faintly back. "Sure."

"If you promise to forgive me and the girls, and to literally tell us whenever you're feeling upset about anything we're doing to you…" she started, moving her hands down from his face to his shoulders.

"Okay…"

"…Then I promise to be a better big sister to you, from here on out. I won't be so hard on you anymore, and I'll keep everyone in line. Deal?"

Lincoln nodded, his smile spreading just a bit wider. "Deal."

And for the first time in a number of years, Lori planted a kiss on her little brother's forehead. "I love you, Lincoln. I know I literally don't show it enough, but…I wanted to make sure you knew."

"I love you, too," he replied, wrapping his oldest sister in a big hug. "You, and all of the girls."

That made her beam wider than she had in a long time. Reaching up a bit to stroke his hair, she declared, "It's good to have you back, little brother."

The siblings fell silent for a few minutes, just reveling in the rare outpouring of affection, before Lincoln proposed something. "Hey, Lori…can I add something to our agreement?"

"What's that?"

"Promise to hug me more often?"

With a chuckle, Lori squeezed Lincoln a little tighter. "Literally any time."


	13. …The Walk Home

**Should I bother coming up with excuses as to why I never post anymore? Would anybody care? No? All right then.**

Luna liked to think that she was pretty good at planning ahead and thinking things through. She wasn't as confident as Lori or as creative as Lincoln, but was usually pretty successful in getting what she wanted. After all, she was the mastermind behind surprising Lincoln by getting his favorite band, SMOOCH, to play at their house when he couldn't go to their concert. Not to mention the insane amount of planning that comes with booking one's own music performances. By now, Luna was an expert at making arrangements and following plans.

Today, she was executing a plan that to this point was going fairly well. Normally, Lori would drive all the Loud siblings home from school every afternoon, but today Luna had decided to walk. And despite having denied it when her family teasingly asked her that morning, she was indeed walking with someone.

Yes, it was Sam. Yes, that Sam, the one Luna had written the love letter for last week. Luna hadn't yet made the rest of her family aware that she and the object of her affection were indeed an item, partially because she didn't want them meddling in her business. But there was another reason: Sam was a girl.

Perhaps she was afraid that her family would disapprove of a homosexual relationship, or perhaps she wasn't quite comfortable with it herself just yet, but she hadn't told anybody about Sam ever since she'd given her the love letter. And even then, since Sam is conveniently a unisex name, Luna referred to her only ever as Sam, without using any gender-specific pronouns. It had simply been implied that since Luna was a girl, the Sam she liked was a boy. But in reality, of course, that wasn't true.

Luna decided not to give the concept of a homosexual relationship any more deep thought, as it hurt her head and made her question whether or not it was okay for her to feel the things she did for another girl. She came to the conclusion that she was happy with Sam, and that their being together wasn't hurting anyone. But on the matter of her siblings, well…Lori and Luan would understand, and probably Leni and Lynn, too. But the younger ones would probably have a hard time grasping the concept. Lincoln might understand homosexuality in theory, but he would probably find the whole thing strange and disgusting. Anyway, to summarize, if Luna were to tell one sibling, word would spread to the others, which she didn't want. So, she just didn't tell anyone.

The girls' walk together had been nice. This was the first time they had done this, so neither one of them was all that talkative. They simply strolled at a leisurely pace, quietly enjoying the other's company. Luna could get used to this.

As they reached Sam's house, Luna caught a glimpse of something familiar a few houses in front of them. Or, rather someone. Two someones. And the someone in orange was waving at her. Lincoln?

Crap! I forgot about Lincoln and Clyde! the brunette rocker suddenly realized. She knew this road seemed strangely familiar. She had also forgotten that Lincoln liked to walk with his best friend on Fridays, and that the elementary school was closer to Clyde's house than the high school was.

Sam tapped Luna's shoulder. "You okay?" the blonde asked. "You look like you've seen someone lip-sync."

The thought of introducing her girlfriend to her little brother briefly flashed in Luna's mind, but she shook her head, both eliminating the idea and brushing off Sam's question in one action. "Nah, I'm all right. Just remembered I got tons of homework for the weekend," she said dismissively.

"That sucks," Sam replied with a smirk. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Bye Bye Bye!" She gave Luna a quick hug before heading into her house, leaving Luna by herself.

Deciding not to dwell on the fact that her girlfriend referenced the long-irrelevant *NSYNC, Luna turned her attention to her brother, who was now by himself in front of Clyde's house, about a hundred feet in front of her. What was she going to tell him? Clearly he had seen her with Sam and was going to ask who she was. Should Luna lie to him?

She sighed, deciding not to. Lincoln wouldn't lie to her if he were the one in this situation. Try to hide it, maybe…but that's what she had been doing this past week, and the cat was out of the bag now. She had to be fair to him.

In the time she had been pondering what to do, Lincoln had jogged up to her, catching her slightly by surprise when he chirped, "Hey, Luna!"

Luna blinked a couple times, then put on a grin. "Hey, little bro," she greeted, ruffling his hair. "You walked with Clyde today?"

"Yeah. I'd stay and hang out with him, but he has to go to the dentist," the boy replied. "Who was that girl you were walking with?"

"O-oh, that was, uh…" She hesitated, taking one final moment to question whether she should be honest with him, before sighing and telling him the truth. "I-it was Sam." She cringed and waited for his response, fearing the worst.

When a simple, "Oh," was his only reaction, she turned to him.

"You don't think it's strange?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not as strange as it is to be standing in front of her house a whole two minutes after she went inside."

"Touché," she deadpanned as the two began their short walk home.

Lincoln looked up at his sister with a puzzled expression. "Wait, why is it strange for you to walk home with your friend? I do it all the time."

Luna gulped, choosing her words carefully. "Well, it's not…but Sam's not just a friend, dude. She, uh…"

"Ohhh. So she's your, um—"

"Yeah."

They walked in silence for a couple blocks, Luna trying to gauge Lincoln's reaction. His face was hard to read, though. He seemed to be thinking intently, but she couldn't tell whether he was accepting of the idea or whether he thought his sister a freak for liking another girl.

When the siblings turned onto Franklin Avenue, their house beginning to come into view, Luna spoke. "Listen, Linc…if you think it's weird, don't be scared to tell me. I'm not gonna be mad, it's just…I just want to know what you're thinking."

The duo reached their driveway, pausing to collect the envelopes in the mailbox, when Lincoln declared, "I think you're crazy."

The girl's heart sank to her toes, but she chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah…you're probably right, bro. I know it's wrong."

"No, I think you're crazy for thinking it's so wrong, Luna," he clarified, touching his sister's arm. "I don't think it's such a big deal. I mean…look at Clyde. He has two dads, and that's not how they told me things worked in health class."

"I…I didn't think you'd understand," she replied, not knowing what else to say. On a side note, she found it strange that a fifth grader would learn about such things in school. Didn't she have to wait until seventh grade?

"I don't," he said honestly. "I mean…I've only ever thought about girls like that. And that only really started a little while ago…"

Luna found Lincoln's blush completely adorable. Baby bro's growing up.

"…But just because I don't like boys that way, doesn't mean you shouldn't like girls that way," the boy finished. "I mean…if you're happy, why should I care? It's none of my business."

In sounding like the child he was, Lincoln expressed tolerance and wisdom beyond his years, such that many men five times his age couldn't wrap their heads around. And in that moment, Luna was more proud of her little brother than she'd ever been up to that point.

She knelt down so the two were eye level and put her hands on his shoulders. "That means a lot, dude. I thought…I thought you'd tell me I was gross and hate me or something."

"I could never hate you," he replied without hesitation. "You're my sister. And you're happy…there's nothing gross about being happy with the person you love, right?"

She hugged him then. "I guess not," she said simply.

HONK!

The blaring of a car horn jolted Luna and Lincoln apart, and upon looking up they were met with Lori's angry, "Get out of the way before I literally throw up!"

Realizing that they were standing in the middle of the driveway, Luna and Lincoln rushed toward the front door to avoid being run over by Vanzilla.

"I guess I'm gonna have to tell them, too, huh?" Luna asked her brother.

"You will," Lincoln replied. "But they'll be so excited for you. They'll love you no matter what, Luna. And so will I. It doesn't matter who you like, as long as you're happy."

The urge to hug the boy again was too strong to overcome, even on the front doorstep in front of everybody.

Even though Lori was still going off on them. "Okay, I literally don't know what's going on with you two, but could you move it? There's plenty of room to cuddle inside."

 **I hope you don't find the ending too rushed. I've changed it a few times, and this is the only one I was somewhat happy with.**


End file.
